Mike Pence receives award for defending democracy from Trump — without mentioning his name

05 May 2025, 10:54 by https://www.facebook.com/17108852506 · AlterNet

REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi

Karen Pence and former U.S Vice President Mike Pence arrive for the 2025 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., May 4, 2025.

Adam Lynch
May 05, 2025Bank

Politico reports former Vice President Mike Pence received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award this weekend for his refusal to join President Donald Trump’s attempt to buck democracy and remain in office after losing the 2020 election. The award recognizes Pence “for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021,” the JFK Library Foundation said.

Four years ago, Trump pressured Pence to reject legitimate election results from swing states where Trump falsely claimed the vote was tainted by fraud. Pence refused, and a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, whipped into a fury by Trump’s angry social media posts.

“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,” Trump wrote on “X”, driving Pence to hide with his family and his security detail.

Despite calls from the mob to “hang Mike Pence,” Pence rejected the Secret Service’s advice to leave the Capitol and stayed to complete the ceremonial election certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

Pence told the audience at the award ceremony that “by God’s grace I did my duty that day to support the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States of America.”

“Jan. 6 was a tragic day but it became a triumph of freedom. History will record that our institutions held,” he said in his speech. “Leaders in both chambers, in both political parties reconvened the very same day and finished democracy’s work under the Constitution.”

Pence said he still disagrees with his Republican Party on tariffs and his “belief that America is the leader of the free world and must stand with Ukraine until the Russian invasion is repelled and a just and lasting peace is secured.” However, the Daily Beast noted Pence took care not to mention Trump's name, stopping himself at the importance of defending the Constitution--mere hours after Trump refused to promise not to defy it.

JFK’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy presented the award along with JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg.

Read the full Politico story here.